Sturdy stone ruins of this 9th-century citadel straddle a ridge between two canyons forming a de facto city gate at the western entrance of Tunçkaya, now a half-forgotten little highland steppe village.
The site is 8.5km off the D965 Kars–Kağzıman road, turning west at Paslı opposite a military base 45km south of Kars. The Tunçkaya road is an unpaved dead end with steep sections but it's drivable in a normal car when dry. The road passes through the village of Ortaköy and a valley that turns emerald green with mountain run-off in spring. However, the scene looks contrastingly parched later in the year and can prove impassably snowy in winter.
